


Zero-G

by RenkonNairu



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: F/M, Father/Son, Gen, Outer Space, Physics, zero-gravity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-16
Updated: 2012-08-16
Packaged: 2017-11-12 06:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/487638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RenkonNairu/pseuds/RenkonNairu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Season 1 finale.<br/>In which some feel weightless and others have a weight lifted. -ONESHOT-</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zero-G

It was the best New Years Conner had ever had. Admittedly, it was also the first and only New Years Conner had ever had, but why quibble over nuances?

He and his Team had saved the League from Vandal Savage's mind control, and by extension saved the rest of the world too. He was on Watchtower, the League's not-so-secret-base in space, looking out on one of the most majestic and breathtaking views he'd ever seen. M'gann was pressed against his chest, her back to him, his arms encircling her waist –enjoying the moment together. But best of all… oh, best of all, Superman –or rather, Clark- had congratulated him on a job well done. Not just congratulated him but shared his identity and said that it was right that he and Conner shared the same name.

Could this night (day? it was hard to tell in space) get any better?

He stared out into the inky black void. Yes, yes it could get better.

"Do you wanna go for a walk?" He asked M'gann, bending down to whisper in her ear as if to conspire a plot.

"Okay." The martian girl shrugged. "There's not much space on the station, but I wouldn't mind doing a few laps around the terrarium."

He flashed her an uncharacteristically mischievous grin. He was feeling optimistic, which also meant he was feeling bold. "That's not exactly what I meant."

All through out the outer hull of the station, air-locks had been cut out of the solid stone walls and placed at regular intervals along the corridors. Each was clearly marked and numbered with bright yellow and black tape so that no one might mistake them for rooms and suck themselves out into space's dark oblivion. Beside each air-lock door was a smaller glass panel filled with oxygen masks of various sizes and fits. It was to one of these air-locks that Conner lead M'gann.

He opened the glass panel and selected two oxygen masks for them.

"What are you planning?" She asked, raising one auburn eyebrow in suspicion.

"We're in space!" He informed her happily, as if this were new news that neither of them had been aware of for the past six hours prior to this moment.

"Yes, Conner." She nodded, as if humoring a child. "The Watchtower is in space."

"No, I mean we're in space." He repeated, fastening an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth before handing the second to her. She still didn't get what he was trying to tell her, but accepted the mask all the same. Just to humor him. He paused before stepping into the air-lock chamber, just long enough to register her lack if comprehension. Wrapping one strong arm around her waist, Conner pulled her to him, touching his forehead to hers. M'gann instinctively opened a telepathic link between them. /'In space, there's not gravity. In space, nothing falls. In space, I can fly!'/

Understanding dawned with a crystal-like clarity and M'gann climbed into the air-lock chamber with him, closing the thick steel door behind them. There was a three second time delay between the inner door registering that it had been shut and locked and the outer door releasing, voiding the atmosphere and whatever people (in this case the Superboy and Miss Martian) also happened to be in the chamber.

There was a sudden jolt as they were both sucked out when the chamber depressurized and Conner was glad he did not have a weak stomach because he probably would have thrown up otherwise. Inertia kept them moving in the direct they had been sucked out in, neither decelerating nor changing directions until M'gann stopped them both before they could drift to far from the 'Tower.

Conner stretched out his arms over his head and closed his eyes. M'gann let go of his hand for the moment.

/'I'm flying!'/

/'You're not moving.'/ She informed him.

/'Shush! Don't spoil this.'/ He chided her. Conner knew perfectly well he wasn't really flying. But with his eyes closed, suspended in a void and feeling utterly weightless, he could pretend that he was flying.

When M'gann grew board of just watching him hang there, indulging in his own fantasies, she once again took hold of his arm, melding him against her side. /'You promised me a walk.'/ She reminded him. /'So, we're gonna have a nice little space-walk. Got it?'/

/'Yes, dear.'/

…

The air-locks on Watchtower weren't exactly meant for 'Emergencies Only'. In fact, Superman used them far more often to come and go from Watchtower than he did the zetta transporter wonder-tech, and since Superman came and went so often, it would have been just plain impractical (and down right annoying) to have emergency lights and sirens blaring every time he came or went. That being said, the air-locks weren't exactly meant for casual use either and the League did like to keep track of when they were opened and closed. (But mostly just when they were opened.)

So, when the 'Tower's computer registered the use of one of the air-locks near the terrarium, Clark felt the need to investigate. He knew he certainly hadn't stepped out for a bit, and he was curios (and perhaps a bit suspicious given it was only five hours since they had recovered from the Vandal Savage incident) to see just who else it could have been. Captain Marvel could survive out in space without a suit and nothing more than an oxygen mask on, as could J'onn. He was also pretty sure the Hawks could, too, but it had been so long he might have just imagined them having the ability. And then maybe Diana could, she was pretty close to invulnerable.

But it was not anyone from the League that the Superman saw through the view port when he reached the air-lock in question. No, instead it was two members of the kids' Team –his own clone, in fact, and J'onn's niece. Er… not niece? Recently, during the battle in which they had all been under Savage's control, J'onn had learned that the girl was not even a green martian but rather a white one. Clark was still a little unclear on the particulars, but he thought it safe to infer that Miss Martian was not J'onn's biological niece. His protégé then? Sure, that worked.

He saw his clone and J'onn's protégé.

Speak of the devil –none other than the Martian Manhunter came striding up to him not long after Clark himself arrived at the lock. Presumably for the same reason of verifying who had gone out (or come in). He paused when he saw the Superman.

"Ah, I assume that was you just now?"

"Nope." The Man of Steel shook his head and lifted his chin to indicate the two teens doing quark-screws and spirals outside. "It was them."

The Martian Manhunter turned to see and nodded. "Ah."

"Though, I'm not rightly sure what they think they're doing." Admitted the Superman.

J'onn was silent a moment, his eyes fixed on the view port and the couple floating beyond it. After a prolonged pause he turned back to Clark and said, "They are taking what, on Earth, would be called a 'leisurely stroll'."

"Ah." Clark nodded. Then, after a brief pause, as if it had just occurred to him, "Wait a minuet, does Superb- uh, Conner have a flight ability?"

"He does not."

"So, Miss Martian is pretty much carrying him." Clark crossed his arm over his chest, suddenly and inexplicably feeling uncomfortable with the boy being outside with no way of getting back to the 'Tower under his own power and being utterly dependent on the other person out there with him. "If they're separated Conner could be lost in space."

"I think that's a bit dramatic, don't you?" J'onn did not have eyebrows, but he did have brow ridges, and he raised one of them quizzically at the Man of Steel. "M'gann would not let him drift to far from her."

They began walking along the outer corridor, keeping the children in sight at all times, just to make sure Clark's over-dramatized scenario didn't actually come to pass and if it did, one of them would react fast enough to grab the boy before he could drift to far.

"Speaking of Miss Martian," Clark began, changing the subject from his clone to J'onn's not-niece. "How are you doing? I mean with the whole green martian-white martian thing?"

There was a prolonged pause, and then… "I am better than I was before." He began awkwardly. "After I came-to from the Cure-o-Tech I thought it had just been a hallucination brought on by the mind-control, but M'gann confessed everything to me. I would be lying if I said I did not feel deceived, but I grew up on Mars and know full well what the whites endure –its rather similar to how America's black population was treated in the 1920s. I do not begrudge her wanting to seek asylum on Earth."

"But you resent her hiding it from you for so long." Clark supplied. "You think, all that time, if you had known from the start… maybe things would have been different…"

J'onn regarded his companion for a moment, wondering if he were actually referring to the Manhunter's situation with M'gann M'orzz or instead his own situation with the Superboy clone. He decided that in that moment it really didn't matter. "At first. But I have spent some time meditating on it and have concluded that it changes nothing. M'gann has proven herself time and again by her missions with the Team. The circumstances of her birth are meaningless because she's earned my trust and that's all that matters."

"So soon?" Clark blinked in skepticism. "You only found out, what, like six hours ago!"

No sooner had these words been out of his mouth, however, that the Man of Steel lapsed into a guilty silence.

J'onn paused in his stride, one hand resting on the Superman's shoulder. Outside the kids drifted along ahead of them.

"Clark," he began in all seriousness. "You should not compare yourself to me. We are different people, with different up-bringings, in different situations. I took the time I needed to accept M'gann as a white martian and you took the time you needed to accept Conner as…" a pause "… you took the time you needed to accept Conner. It is no one's place to judge whether or not you took to long –except maybe Conner himself."

The kryptonian gave a half-hearted nod before he and J'onn continued walking to catch up with the pair's progress outside.

"By the way," Clark began again, "'Kent', I know he couldn't have come up with that on his own. Someone had to suggest it. I know it wasn't Tornado, it's not the sort of thing he'd think of –not in his programming. And Dinah wouldn't do it because she was skeptical I'd ever accept him and wouldn't want him to carry my name for the rest of his life if I didn't. Captain Marvel doesn't know I'm Clark Kent. Barry might have, but I don't think he's spent all that much time with the boy. So, that leaves you or Bruce. And maybe Dick, I suppose. It's the sort of trollish thing I've come to expect from him too."

J'onn made a non-committal noise.

"Its kinda a shame I have no idea who it was, though." The Superman cast a sideways glance at the Manhunter. "If they don't come forward, I can't thank them."

"Oh?"

Clark waited to see if J'onn would say more. When he didn't the Superman heaved a shrug. "Of course, it was probably Bruce. This is just the sort of sneaky thing I'd expect from him. A real shame too, I hate it when he's right! You know, he is the only person I have ever met that can say 'I told you so' without ever actually saying 'I told you so'. It's really really annoying."

"You spend more time with him that I do." The Manhunter shrugged. "I've heard that people who work so closely can't help but irritate one another. Either that or they end-up like our protégés out there."

Clark raised an eyebrow in confusion. "They end-up floating in zero-G?"

J'onn sighed. "Nevermind."

Clark returned his attention to the pair outside the view port. "You don't think they're drifting a little to far, do you? M'gann does know he can't come back on his own, right?"

My, my, my… someone was sounding concerned. J'onn did not comment, opting instead to say, "You are perfectly capable to going out there and bringing them back."

"So are you." Clark shot back. "In fact, you don't even have to go outside. Just mind-link with M'gann and tell them to come back."

J'onn was, as a general rule, was a stoic man. He rarely offered any outward expression of his emotions. Coming from a race of telepaths, visual expression was unnecessary. Even still, he could not help but give a short laugh at the Superman's comment. "You really know nothing of teenagers, do you."

Clark shrugged. "Last of my race. Can't procreate with humans. Never thought I'd have kids. Never paid attention before."

J'onn was not paying attention to Clark now. His eyes were focused outside, his brows knitted with the slightest hint of concentration.

"Are you talking to M'gann?"

After a prolonged pause, J'onn turned back to his companion. "She's on her way back in."

"You mean 'they'." Corrected the Superman. "They're on their way back in."

J'onn remained silent. Clark looked through the view port. Sure enough, M'gann was drifting back towards them, but Conner remained behind, hovering out in the void.

"She can't leave him out there!"

The outer hatch closed behind the martian girl and Clark waited for the chamber to re-pressurize and the inner hatch to open before he demanded, "Why'd you leave him alone?"

She blinked in utter confusion, glancing from Clark to J'onn, silently asking why the Superman seemed to be angry with her. She hadn't done anything wrong.

"The boy will be fine." The Manhunter assured him.

Clark didn't seem to hear him, or if he did he was choosing to ignore him (as was more likely the case, considering his kryptonian hearing). He opened the panel next to the air-lock, withdrew a new oxygen mask and hopped in the chamber before it shut again. In another few moments he was coasting through space towards his clone.

/'I don't understand what I did wrong. You told me to tell Conner to wait, so I did.'/ Miss Martian looked up at her mentor. /'Why's he mad at me?'/

/'He's not mad, he's anxious.'/ J'onn replied. /'He just doesn't know it. You did nothing wrong. You were perfect.'/

/'You wanted him to rush out to Conner like that!'/ Her eyes widened as understanding dawned. /'But you wanted it to be his idea, not yours. That was sneaky.'/

/'One of the wonderful things about being an immigrant of Earth living in America is that I'm able to plead the American Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.'/

/'Huh?'/ She didn't get it.

/'I'm saying nothing that might incriminate me.'/ He clarified. It was a common colloquialism in America to, whenever a person didn't want to admit something, to say 'I plead the fifth'. This referred to the Fifth Amendment which protects a citizen from being forced to incriminate themselves in an investigation. It was one of the very first thing read in the Miranda Rights as well, 'You have the right to remain silent…'

/'Ah…'/ The martian girl nodded in sudden understanding. /'Come to think of it, you were the one to give him Mr. Kent's name, too.'/

J'onn remained tactfully silent.

/'You are sneaky!'/

/Nobody else has ever noticed.'/

…

Conner had no idea what to think when he saw Superman -uh, Clark- coming towards him.

It had been a couple of hours since they had exchanged names and made peace. Did his genetic-parent have more to say? Of course he probably did. There was loads to say on both sides. Conner had a few things he wanted to share with the Man of Steel himself (in varying degrees of a 'respectful' tone). But they couldn't exactly talk in space. Space was a vacuum, no air, no sound, no talking.

Clark coasted to a slow stop in front of him, his cape's forward motion continuing until the fabric was breaked around his body, giving it the appearance of a crimson cloak rather than a cape. It undulated in the zero-G for a few moments before its kinetic energy was spent and the fabric stilled, hanging unmoving suspended in nothingness.

Clark tapped a button on the chin-plate of his oxygen mask and Conner's comm-link crackled in his ear. "Are you okay?"

"I can hear you!" The boy gasped.

Clark paused. Cocked his head to the side. Considered the boy a moment. Then reached a hand forward to tap the chin of his mask. "What? Okay, now speak."

"How- There's no sound in space!"

Clark paused. Gave a slight chuckle at the novelty of sound in space then said, "I'm told you have an almost encyclopedic knowledge. So, tell me: what's sound?"

"It's a mechanical wave oscillated through matter." The boy supplied without missing a beat. His voice went into a monotone and his expression seemed a bit blank, but after he was done, Conner quickly blinked and continued more like himself. "But there's no matter in space. It's a vacuum. Void."

The Superman tapped his ear. "But your comm is in your ear and your ear is comprised of matter."

Conner's expression lit up with comprehension and he could almost feel the boy kicking himself that he should have known that. Ah, physics, what a wonderful thing. He wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders.

"C'mon, I'll take you back in."

Now his expression turned awkward and hesitant. "Superman, uh- Clark… Mr. Kent, what if I wanna stay out here a bit longer?"

"You can call me Clark." He nodded in an attempt to alleviate the boy's fears of disrespect. "Though, when I'm in uniform you should really keep calling me 'Superman', not everyone knows my identity. But since we're alone out here it shouldn't matter."

"Okay, Clark, can I stay out a bit longer?"

The Man of Steel paused, considering. "You really shouldn't." He said. "There's no way for you to get back on your own."

Conner tapped his comm's ear-bud. "Now that I know these work out here, I can just call Miss Martian or someone to pick me up."

Superman did not look convinced.

"Please, Clark?" He was about to elaborate, but paused. Looked unsure. Averted his eyes. "I can't 'fly' in there."

"You still can't fly out here." Clark reminded him. It was the reason he wouldn't be able to re-enter the 'Tower on his own. Without a flight ability he couldn't move in a vacuum.

"I know. But I can pretend… for a little while." He chanced a glance up at his genetic-parent, not sure what kind of reaction to expect.

Clark looked thoughtful -considering. "It's a little silly." He finally said. "In another few years you'll be flying on your own just fine-" Conner opened his mouth to inform the Man of Steel that that wasn't going to happen because he was only half kryptonian, but though better of it. They were not yet ready to have that conversation. "-but if you really can't wait, I can show you a few tricks to maneuvering in zero-G."

…

M'gann had left herself linked with Conner telepathically and had been spyin- ahem, listening in to her boyfriend's conversation just to make sure he was okay. At the Superman's last words, though, she decided to break the link and give them their space. Conner was just fine. Instead she turned to the Martian Manhunter.

/'You're a genius, Unc- uh, J'onn.'/

The Manhunter offered her a comforting smile. /'M'gann, I would feel honored if you continued to call me 'Uncle'.'/ He told her. /'That is, only if you actually want to. Let there be no more pretenses between us.'/

/'Yes!'/ The thought was so strong she almost shouted it out loud. /'I would like that very much! Thank you, Uncle J'onn.'/

She threw her arms around the Manhunter, her now adopted uncle. For the first time since sneaking aboard his ship last June, M'gann felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, a weight she hadn't even known was there until it was gone and suddenly it was as she was back in the zero-G of outer space. Light, weightless, free.

…

"Okay, so I assume you know your laws of motion." Clark was saying.

Not sooner had he asked this, however, then Conner began reciting Newton's Laws as if out of a textbook in that Cadmus monotone with that blank stare on his face. The Superman quickly decided that it was rather off-putting and would have to find a way to break the boy of it in the future. It drove home a point Clark was still struggling to put aside, that the boy was a clone created without his knowledge or consent for dubious purpose.

Clark held up a hand. "Okay, you know your physics. Now lets see if you can apply them." He had carried them both away from Watchtower to a near lunar orbit. "First, which way's down?"

They were suspended between Earth and the moon, slightly closer to the moon, but Earth loomed almost as large in Conner's field of vision. He was about to point at the blue and white marbled planet, but wavered between it and the moon. Or maybe this was a trick question and neither of them were 'down' and 'down' was somewhere between them. But then, in which direction? Infinite choices. Then it hit him. Infinite choices. 'Down' was whatever direction he decided was 'down'. It had been a trick question, just not the kind of trick he'd first thought.

"It doesn't matter." Conner finally answered. "In space there's no such thing as 'up' for 'down' because they're concepts that evolved from living in gravity."

"Very good." Clark nodded and Conner couldn't help but feel a little pride swell in his chest at the praise. It was the second praise his genetic-parent had ever given him and it was all the more precious because of that. "Orienting yourself is the first step to maneuvering in zero-G. When you're in a three dimensional space free of gravitational forces you have so much freedom it can be a little overwhelming, so we make our own orientations and simplify. For right now, lets say the moon is 'down'."

Clark turned them in the void until their feet were pointed at the moon and Conner had to crane his neck upwards to see the Earth. The Man of Steel then zipped 'down' to the Sea of Tranquility, picked up a stone roughly the size of a basketball and returned to where he'd left Conner hovering.

"Throw this 'down'." The Man of Steel commanded.

The boy did as he was told. Taking the rock, he used both hands to lob it at the moon as hard as he could. The stone left his hands on a collision course for the Sea of Tranquility and Conner, to his amazement, began to drift away from the moon at almost the same rate at which the stone was drifting to it. He was moving a bit slower than the rock was, but that was only because the acceleration was inversely proportional to his mass. He was bigger than the rock, so he exerted more force on the rock than the rock exerted on him.

Clark caught the stone before it could make a super-sized crater in the moon that would have NASA scientist scratching their heads for weeks, then zipped to catch Conner before he drifted to far from their 'training ground'. He passed the stone back to the boy.

"Okay, now throw it 'up', towards Earth."

Conner did as he was told, tossing the rock as if trying to shoot a basket in PE. As had happened with he'd thrown it 'down', the stone went arching through the void towards the Earth and he went plummeting to the moon, slightly slower. Once again, Clark caught both of them before either could hit anything. He passed the rock to Conner for a third time.

"Okay, this is probably getting tedious, so last one, I swear. Throw it directly in front of you."

The Superboy, taking the stone in both hands, propelled it from his chest. It arched over the moon, traveling to fast for its weak gravity to pull it in, and was flung off into the void. Conner, meanwhile, went flying backwards also into the black just in an opposing direction. This time, the Superman did not catch either of them, but he did drift alongside the Superboy.

"Now, do you know why you also move when you throw the rock away from you?"

"The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acted upon it." He answered dutifully.

"In your own words, please."

Conner paused. "I pushed the rock one way, it pushed me the other way."

"Head of the class." Clark smiled. A real smile, not the awkward and apologetic sham of a smile he'd given when they shared their identities. He once again grabbed Conner about the shoulders, stopping both their forward motion and brought them both arching back to the moon. "Now, lets try pushing off a larger object."

They landed on the moon, kicking up a cloud of dust as they did so.

"Jump."

The Superboy's expression then turned unexpectedly defiant and he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't do that sort of thing."

Clark was suddenly confused. So, the boy elaborated.

"I don't like to be ordered around. That's what they did at Cadmus, I don't like it. When someone says 'jump' I refuse to ask 'how high?'."

"Okay then." He could adjust to that. "Would you, please, kick off the moon."

Conner bent his knees and jumped with as much force as he possibly could. …And went sailing through the void much faster than he'd been able to propel himself with the rock. Clark appeared by his side again. He made no motion to stop or alter the Superboy's course, but through the visor of his oxygen mask, the boy saw him open his mouth to speak again.

"I know, I know…" Conner beat him to the punch. "I travel faster pushing off the moon than I did with the rock because the moon has a greater mass and so it effects me more than I can effect it. That's why I'm practically zooming right now and the moon hasn't moved."

Conner did greatly appreciate Superman showing him all this. Really he did. Words could not express just how happy her was that his genetic-parent was teaching him to do… well, anything. But he really didn't need to go through all the explanations of why what did what or why what happened happened. He already knew all this, Cadmus had been very thorough with his programming. All he needed was a little nudge towards actually applying it and he could figure out the rest on his own. He may not be as much of a science nerd as Wally, but he was smart.

"Actually I was gonna ask if you're cold." Clark surprised him. "Its three degrees Kelvin out here."

"I'm fine." The Superboy assured him. "I'm almost as invulnerable as you are."

"Okay, just thought I'd ask."

They worked on a few more exercises after that. Maneuvering in zero-G seemed to be all about strait lines to Conner. He couldn't arch or curve unless he was close to another astral body with a greater gravitational pull than he did and was traveling at a slow enough speed for said gravity to actually get a hold of him. Even then, his path curved towards the body with the acting gravity. As far as changing actual directions went, that could not be done unless his current path intersected with another object for him to kick off of, and even then, he was still traveling in more of less a strait line.

Maneuvering in space without a flight ability was a lesson in applied-geometry as much as it was applied-physics. For once he was actually rather glad that Cadmus had been so thorough with his programming. He already knew everything he needed to know and with Clark's guiding hand he was able to apply it in practice.

Eventually their oxygen reserves fell low enough for their masks to give them a warning and Clark stopped their practice.

"Nothing like getting yelled at by a mask to ruin the fun, huh." Joked the Superboy light heartedly.

Clark shrugged. "I'm friends with Batman, so I get yelled at by masks all the time."

"I'm sure he takes the mask off sometime." Conner replied. "I mean, unless you guys haven't done the whole identity exchange thing. I didn't mean to presume."

"Oh, he takes the cape and cowl off, sure." The Superman nodded as he flew them both back to Watchtower. "But the mask, that never leaves."

Conner paused. Thought. Then said, "That's a bit heavy for me."

Clark merely shrugged.

It was as they were nearing one of the air-locks that perforated the otherwise smooth stone of Watchtower that the Superman slowed, bringing them both to a halt just short of the outer door.

"Listen, Conner…" He began awkwardly. Almost as awkwardly as when they had exchanged names. "About my behavior these past few months, about how long it took for me to… adjust, I'm… I'm sorry. I won't insult you by making excuses or trying to justify myself. I'm usually very dependable, but… I let you down. You're the first person I've ever let down as 'Superman' and for that I'm sorry."

Conner was silent for a long moment. They hovered, suspended in nothingness, just starring at one another.

Finally, "Thank you." He said. "Since you didn't make excuses, I won't lie and say I was okay, because I wasn't. I needed you, Clark. Some crap would have been a lot less… conflicting if you had been there for me all along. But, at the same time, I understand I was a big shock to you. Batman told me to give you time, so I did and I didn't give up. I'm glad I didn't."

Clark smiled hesitantly. As J'onn had said, he took the time that he needed and only Conner had the right to decide if it was to much. Since the boy was still glad to be mentored by him, he guessed it hadn't been to long, though any longer and 'to long' might have turned into 'to late'. He was curious to know what 'crap' the boy was referring to, but he was also sure that would come in time. Everything happened in time.

Clark felt as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulder and he wrapped both arms around the boy.

"Please don't hug me." Conner said quickly. "We're not there just yet."

"Okay." He pulled back.

Their oxygen masks yelled at them again and Clark opened outer hatch. They waited for the chamber to re-pressurize before opening the inner door and then they were back in Watchtower. Clark pulled off his mask.

"So, are we good?"

"We're good." Conner confirmed, likewise pulling off his own mask.

It would have been a very lovely moment, had the atmosphere not been shattered the very next second by an irate Dark Knight stomping down the corridor towards them.

"Alright, that's it! You two, stop playing hop-scotch with my air-locks or so help me…!"

…

END


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